Search engine optimization has one big advantage: While you must rely on rough estimates for many print and offline campaigns, you can use SEO KPIs to accurately understand the success of your efforts.
Search engine optimization is by far the most transparent marketing tool: you can see your ranking at any time, you can measure the user experience on your website using KPIs and, for example, determine how much traffic a backlink generates.
Additionally, you can use the right key figures to check whether the SEO agency you have chosen is worth it. Discover in this article what the most important SEO KPIs are.
What are SEO KPIs?
The term KPI is derived from English and means "Key Performance Indicator". KIPs are key figures that can be used to objectively measure search engine optimization success. They express the progress of your website and SEO campaign.
Ideally, before starting search engine optimization, you set goals and successes and determine your KPIs. These should improve in the course of search engine optimization, for example in the form of higher visibility, more traffic, additional sales and, from your point of view, better user behavior on the website.
Patience is required: The effects of professional search engine optimization take time. Don't expect all KPIs to suddenly improve a week after starting the SEO campaign. Over a period of several months, you should see significant improvements with the correct application of the measures.
SEO KPI Advantages
- You can define future goals and milestones in measurable numbers.
- You will discover what successes your search engine optimization has already had and how it affects your operating business.
- With minor improvements, you get a preview of how much potential there is in future improvements, for example increasing search engine visibility.
- You can use KPI analysis to set precise priorities in the future, offering valuable optimization potential, especially with small and medium SEO budgets.
Most important SEO KPIs
Below you will find the most important SEO KPIs that you should always keep in mind to help your website achieve new success.
Organic Traffic
Organic traffic is the traffic your website receives from unpaid search results on Google and other search engines. If visitors search for a keyword on Google and then click on your page, this is organic traffic. SEO encourages this.
In addition to organic traffic, there are other ways that your website visitors are directed to your website:
- Direct traffic: Users who directly typed or bookmarked your site's URL in their browser.
- Referral traffic: Users who come to your site from a link, such as a blog, forum, or news site.
- Paid traffic: users who come to your site through paid advertising campaigns such as Google Ads.
- Social Traffic: users who find your website through social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn.
- Email traffic: People who click on your business page from a link in an email.
Impressions
Impressions are search engine impressions. The number indicates how often your website, including all subpages, was shown in search engines. The KPI shows how often your website was visited after performing a relevant search query.
Visibility index
The visibility index is a value calculated using a special formula that evaluates the visibility of your website in Google rankings. It differs from impressions in that it measures how often a website appears in search results, while Visibility Index measures a website's overall visibility based on its rankings for various keywords.
Therefore, the Visibility Index gives you a high-level view of your site's performance, as it also takes into account the positions of various keywords, allowing you to take more specific actions to improve.
Conversion rate
With this KPI, a specific action is first determined, such as making contact or downloading an e-book. Then it is verified what percentage of the visitors actually performed this action; The resulting percentage is the conversion rate.
This allows you to measure how many of your website visitors have taken an action you requested. If, for example, not enough users have downloaded your e-book, you know that you have to work on the presentation of the e-book on your website.
Click-through rate (CTR)
This percentage shows the relationship between impressions and clicks on your website. For example, if your website appears 100 times in organic search and you get 15 clicks, then your CTR is 15 percent. The better your ranking, the more likely users are to click on your website.
Return on Investment (ROI)
The costs incurred are compared with the “returns”, that is, the profits. With ROI, you measure whether the money spent on search engine optimization is really profitable, that is, creates added financial value, and by what percentage it is measured.
Keyword Rankings
Ideally, your website should maintain good rankings for as many relevant search terms as possible. Keyword rankings are a list that shows what search terms your website ranks for, how often the search term is searched for, and where your website ranks in organic search results.
Measure and analyze backlinks
The number of backlinks from external websites leading to your domain are summarized in this KPI. The first step is to determine the total number of backlinks. Then you continually check how many backlinks you have lost and how many new links have been added.
In the second step, these can be analyzed, for example, to remove unwanted backlinks or have them invalidated by Google.
bounce rate
Bounce rate is a KPI that illustrates the user experience on your website. It also allows you to draw conclusions about whether users have really found what they were looking for in their search query.
If the bounce rate is above average, this may be due to several reasons:
- Selection of inappropriate keywords.
- Impractical design or poor usability.
- Intrusive pop-ups and ads.
- Slow loading times.
- Irrelevant or outdated content.
- Incorrect orientation.
- Technical problems.
- Content errors.
Length of stay
Dwell time is another important KPI to measure user experience. This means the time visitors spend on your website. If they stay on your website for a long time, you can assume that they find the page content interesting and worth reading.
It is important to take into account the context. Because on a very small landing page, where users have to enter their data to send an e-book, for example, a long stay is not expected. A suitable KPI would be the conversion rate mentioned above.
How do I measure SEO KPIs?
You can measure important KPIs independently and even for free: you can use Google Analytics or work with Google Search Console. For new projects, therefore, make sure you have configured your website accordingly so that both Google tools can create reports for you.
A complementary alternative can be free SEO tools. It's less about KPIs, like length of stay or bounce rate, and more about individual rankings, keywords, and optimization potential.
If you have put monthly SEO support in the hands of an SEO agency, they should also provide you with the respective SEO KPIs through regular reports, so you can see if the SEO measures are paying off.
SEO KPIs can do a lot: they tell you where and to what extent your website is currently weak and at the same time reveal optimization potential. They also make it clear to you how important search engine optimization is if you are not currently taking any action for that purpose. They also allow you to verify if the measures and work of your SEO agency are working and if the money you have invested is really paying off.
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